Classical Composer Reacts to Close To the Edge (Yes) | The Daily Doug (Episode 123)

#Yes #CloseToTheEdge #HelveringReaction #YesReaction

In this episode of #TheDailyDoug, I'm reacting to the epic song Close To The Edge by Yes. The studio recording was released in 1972, and I found this piece to be just as brilliant, wacky, unique, and singular as advertised. Brilliant! Grab a drink and come along for the ride!

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[siskokidd]

What you had with Yes at that time was a jazz drummer, an inventive, musically astute bassist who spent his youth in a church choir singing classical music filled with rich harmonies, a highly gifted classically trained keyboardist who mastered the newest analog electronic keyboards, a masterful wizard guitarist steeped in rock, jazz and blues, a driven, focused, creative, gifted singer, and a brilliant producer. Plus a record company paying all of them to create this kind of music for increasingly eager audiences. The lure of fans was not only the music, but the fact they could perform (playing and singing) their recorded songs live, while sounding exactly the same, or even better than the studio recordings. Doubtful they were under the influence of serious drugs while writing and recording beyond the accepted functional norm of that time for musicians (some drink and weed). For them, the music alone was often the high they ever needed.

[mrb]

"Listen to that bass". All Yes fans everywhere: Yes.

[davmtu]

Some of us have been listening to this for 50 years and still haven't heard all of it.

[WillRock]

I love how he goes "That's awesome!" literally half a second before one of the greatest moments in music history - seeing his face change as that organ hit was great.

[ytnsanw]

Close To The Edge is - quite simply - one of the most astonishing musical accomplishments in recorded musical history from any era, in any genre. The first time I heard it as an almost 15 year-old, it blew me to pieces, both musically and emotionally. In the 50 years since its release, 'seasons have passed me by' and I have never stopped seeking out and discovering new music, but nothing has ever quite affected me the way that did, and I doubt very much it ever will. Still the pinnacle...

[closthedge]

Close To The Edge is the prog rock song by which all others are measured. I've been listening to it for nearly 50 years now, and I still get chills just like the first time I heard it.

[rchuso]

I still remember mom telling me to "Turn down that noise." back in '72.

[calvinmark]

Probably the most celebrated Yes lineup- Anderson, Howe, Squire, Bruford, and Wakeman. Legendary song and album!

[billbigler]

Have to add to all of these great comments. Have been a fan of Yes since 1969. When Close to the Edge came out on 1972 me and my college roommates would listen to the whole album. We saw Yes live in 1972. And Doug you might like this. There is another song on the album Siberian Khatru. They opened the 1972 concert with this song. The auditorium was pitch black. Quietly over the sound system Stravinsky's Finale to the Firebird built up to a loud level. The band had snuck on to the stage and when the last notes of the Firebird were finishing they hit the first notes of Siberian Khatru. We thought we were going to have a heard attack it was so cool. BTW I write this at 71 years of age. Still brings tears.

[marajamisf]

Steve Howe, Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman, Bill oh God !!!! What a Band

[pwethman]

Warms my heart to see a professionally trained classical musician practically peeing his pants over “I Get Up I Get Down”.

[MarkJones-mmbr]

What I always say to people about this song is, when you first listen to it everything sounds wrong: the notes, the timing, the melodies, the keys, the harmonies. After you listen to it a few times or even once to the end (assuming some musical literacy) you realise everything is absolutely perfect, deliberate, brilliant and mind-blowing genius.

[GravyDaveNewson]

I've been listening to this song for nearly 50 years and it still brings a tear to my eye.

[cpu]

I was a bigoted jazz musician who thought that there was no such thing as great rock music.
My sister got this album from a friend and never played it.
I got stoned one day and wanted to see how space music sounded while ripped.
Popped this on and was just blown away.
This album changed my life.

[AstralTraveler]

I was enthralled at 12 and I am still enthralled at 62. It never gets old!

[risktaker]

Yes, ELP, Pink Floyd, etc...sounds, music no one had ever heard...what a joyous, wonderful time for us to grow up listening to...50 years later I still listen to these geniuses!

[richardcatalinajr.]

I've listened to Close to the Edge hundreds if not more than a thousand times. What I've come away with after nearly 50 years is that the Fish IS the driving force in this piece. Brilliant bass, brilliant musician. RIP, Chris Squire.

[jefaerts]

I believe 100s of years from now, this will be still appreciated

[gbcustomguitars]

“Listen to that bass” “Listen to that bass” “Is that a synthesizer?” No...THAT is Chris Squire. Priceless reactions.

[tolstoy]

I didn't discover Yes or this song until the 90s when I was in college and it shook me from my 'grunge' music stupor and really opened my eyes and ears. Just the other day I put this on in my car and it was the first time ever my nine year old stopped talking for 18 minutes straight since the moment he learned to speak! When it was over, he asked me why I had hidden this from him all this time. Of course, I could only respond by putting on Heart of the Sunrise.